Want to be the hit of Thanksgiving dinner conversation and small-talk with the extended family? Why not share your insights on some of the auto and collision industry’s hottest technology trends?

Bone up with some past RDN coverage, drop those topics or tidbits into casual conversation, and you’ll wow your folks before the first course hits the table.

And as always, know that we’re thankful to all of our readers and sources for another great year of tips, feedback, interviews and resources. We couldn’t do it without you.

Connected cars

Nissan certified shop referrals at crash to consider shop rankings, could specialize further in future

As insurers and OEMs partner on EFNOL, whose shops get the work?

‘This is real’: Examples of insurer, tow company crash notification in market today

Connectivity to recommend OEM networks at moment of crash could be near, Anderson says

GM: OnStar to suggest high-scoring certified shops, but OEM will honor customer choice

Self-driving cars

Mississippi State reveals autonomous, electric off-road ‘Halo Project’ SUV at SCRS SEMA booth

Expert says autonomous cars could get radical crash design changes

Megatrends: Self-driving fleet cars near, but still plenty of room for individually owned vehicles

Hyundai, Aurora to seek Level 4 self-driving car by 2021; VW announces team-up as well

Other artificial intelligence

Audatex: AudaTarget uses AI, questions to predict total losses

ACD announces collision, hail damage detection A.I. technology

Allstate: Highly automated FNOL process coming ‘pretty fast,’ 25% liability calls could be AI in 2019

CCC: A.I.-human estimate writing coming Q1 2019; crash detection for insurers ready now

GM: Autodesk software allows artificial intelligence to design innovative, light auto parts

Impressively human-sounding ‘Google Duplex’ A.I. demo could be the future of customer, B2B conversations

CCC: Insurers using AI total loss system now; shops to test it ‘very soon’

Fixed Ops Journal, Bosch: AI virtual assistant ‘Charlie’ could help auto technicians

Safelite U.K. sister company Autoglass using AI photo estimating to decide fate of windshields

3-D printing

Volkswagen hopes to offer cosmetic custom 3-D printing soon as precursor to ‘soccer-size parts’

Australian MSOs AMA, Gemini partner with ‘Repair-Bot’ plastic collision repair project

3-D printing: Polymaker/XEV’s electric car; Bugatti’s brakes; P&P covers body shop’s Saab grille

Electric cars

VW plans 150,000 ‘e-cars’ worldwide by 2020, 1M by 2025

Audi unveils 2019 e-tron, its steel-and-aluminum electric SUV

Mercedes concept van: Swap between shuttle, delivery bodies on electric frame

Audi: Order of auto megatrends to be connected, electrified, shared, autonomous

Jaguar reveals electric, aluminum I-PACE; Waymo might use 20,000 as self-driving fleet

Images:

A turkey tempts fate on a road in Eugene, Ore. (GarysFRP/iStock)

Lidar sensors can be found on the top and sides of the front bumper on the Mississippi State University Center for Advanced Vehicular Studies “Halo Project” autonomous Subaru Forester. (John Huetter/Repairer Driven News)